Politicians and civil servants who turned down the Padma awards in past

New Delhi: As soon as the Home Ministry announced the names of the Padma awardees for the year 2022, former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee refused to accept the Padma Bhushan award, and giving the reason behind the refusal he said, "the party's policy was not to accept such state awards." 

It is not the first time that an awardee has refused to accept the award, here are some names of politicians and civil servants who declined the Padma awards in past:

Civil servant SR Sankaran in 2005 refused to accept the Padma Bhushan saying that 'he could not accept any award for merely doing his duty.' 

In 2003, former Minister of Commerce and Industry of Rajasthan and Sarvodaya activist Siddharaj Dhadda refused to accept the Padma Bhushan award. 

CPM leader and the first Chief Minister of Kerala E M S Namboodiripad in 1992 turned down the then P V Narasimha Rao’s offer to award him Padma Vibhushan as 'it was against his nature to accept a state honour.' 

Former diplomat PN Haksar in 1973 was offered the Padma Vibhushan award for among other services, his crucial diplomatic role in brokering the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation and the Shimla Agreement but he declined to accept it saying, "accepting an award for work done somehow causes an inexplicable discomfort to me."

In1967, Politician Kashi Prasad Pandey refused to accept the Padma Shri award for some personal reasons.